Toy blowing instrument



Dec. 2, 1969 c. MEYER TOY BLOWING INSTRUMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.'7, 1966 Dec. 2 ,1969 MEYER 3,481,069

TOY BLOWING INSTRUMENT Filed NOV. '7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

INVENTOR army/u ff United States Patent 3,481,069 TOY BLOWING INSTRUMENTChristian Meyer, Nuremberg, Germany, assignor to Leonhard Holler, Furth,Bavaria, Germany Filed Nov. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 592,668 Claims priority,appliigtion Germany, Jan. 15, 1966,

Int. Cl. A63h 29/16 US. Cl. 46-44 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a toyblowing instrument which is provided with an air-driven turbine, theturbine wheel of which carries toy figures.

Prior to this invention, I have disclosed a similar toy which comprisesa blowing tube which is provided at one end with a mouthpiece andcarries on its other end a turbine. The wheel of this turbine isdisposed horizontally and carries on its upper side a covering diskwhich is freely accessible from above and carries a plurality of toyvehicles. When air is blown through the tube against the turbine, thelatter is set into rotation and the covering disk and the toy vehiclesthereon are then driven in a circular direction. At the same time, awhistling sound is produced by a whistling nozzle which is provided onthe blowing tube.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy blowinginstrument of the type as above described in which several toy vehiclesor figures are movable along at least two circular tracks at differentspeeds either in the same direction or in opposite directions. This toyblowing instrument has the advantage over the one-track instrument asabove described that it is much more interesting and amusing andtherefore of greater practical and commercial value.

For attaining this object, the invention provides the toy blowinginstrument with at least two turbine wheels which are freely rotatableand extend coaxially to each other. On their upper sides these turbinewheels carry covering disks or rings on which any desired toy figuresmay be placed. The turbine wheels may be either in the form of axial orradial turbines and be rotatable either in the same direction or inopposite directions.

A preferred feature of the invention consists in providing separate airducts for blowing the air against the different turbine wheels. Anotherfeature of the invention consists in providing a rotary control valvefor dividing the volume of the air current which is blown into themouthpiece of the instrument and for distributing different volumes ofair to the different turbine wheels. This control valve preferablycomprises a hollow cylindrical valve member which is provided at oneside facing the air inlet channel of the mouthpiece with a longitudinalinlet slot and at the opposite side with outlet openings leading to theseparate air ducts for the different turbine wheels. When the valvemember is turned, the volume of air flowing to one turbine wheel may beincreased, while that flowing to the other wheel will be reduced. Inthis manner it is possible to vary the speeds of the two turbine wheelsat will relatively to each other. If the two wheels 3,481,069 PatentedDec. 2, 1969 "ice are provided with upper surfaces forming concentricrunways simulating a racetrack on which small toy vehicles in the formof race cars are mounted, the operator of the toy instrument may carryout a race between several cars by manipulating the control valve whileblowing into the mouthpiece.

The turbine wheels which are disposed above each other are preferablyseparated from each other by covering disks so that the individualwheels cannot interfere with each other. These separating covering disksmay be rigidly secured to the housing or, more simply, they may beprovided on the upper side of one turbine wheel.

The above-mentioned as well as further features and advantages of thepresent invention will become more clearly apparent from the followingdetailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a top view of a blowing instrument according to theinvention;

FIGURE 2 shows a longitudinal section which is taken along the lineII-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 and 4 show bottom views of the two turbine wheels;

FIGURES 5 and 6 show, respectively, a longitudinal section and a sideview of the rotary control valve for distributing the blown air to thetwo turbine wheels; while FIGURE 7 shows a bottom view of the controlvalve with stops for limiting its rotary movement.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, the blowing instrument according tothe invention comprises a tubular pipe stem 1, the rear end of whichforms a mouthpiece,

while this other end merges into a circular cup-shaped part 2 whichforms a housing for two turbine wheels 3 and 4 which are disposedcoaxially one above the other and which carry circular tracks 5 and 6simulating individual runways. The tracks 5 and 6 are located adjacentto each other and within the same plane and carry simulated race carsaffixed thereto as by gluing.

The two turbine wheels 3 and 4 are freely rotatable on a vertical shaft8. The lower end of this shaft 8 is rotatably mounted in the bottom ofthe cup-shaped part 2. The upper end of shaft 8 is journaled in asupporting disk 9 which is connected to the turbine housing by abridge-shaped part 10 which is provided with stairs. The supporting disk9 carries a small toy building 11.

The turbine wheels 3 and 4 are provided in the form of flat disks withrings 12 and 13 projecting from their lower sides. The rings 12 and 13carry turbine blades 14 that extend outwardly therefrom in asubstantially tangential direction. On its outer peripheral side, thelower turbine wheel 4 is in addition provided with upwardly projectingconnecting webs 15 which carry the outer track or runway 6.

Adjacent to its rear end which serves as a mouthpiece the tubular stem 1is provided with a whistle 16 through which a small part of the airblown into the mouthpiece escapes with a whistling sound. The main partof this air, however, flows in the direction toward the turbine wheels 3and 4 so as to propel the same.

The turbine wheels may be driven independently of each other byconducting the air thereto through separate ducts 18 and 19. In front ofthese ducts 18 and 19 a rotary control valve consisting of a valvemember 17 is provided which serves for controlling the air current andfor selectively distributing it to the two turbine wheels. This valvemember 17 consists of a hollow cylinder, the wall of which is providedwith a longitudinal inlet slot 27 and opposite thereto with two outletopenings 20 one are above the other. The air is then blown through themain inlet channel in the stem 1 and flows through the slot 27 and thetwo outlet openings to the turbine wheels. The walls of the outletopenings 20 are provided with recesses 21 and 22 which extend inopposite directions to each other. Depending upon the position to whichthe valve member 17 is turned, the position of the openings 20 togetherwith the recesses 21 and 22 will be changed relative to the air ducts 18and 19, and a smaller or larger air current will then pass through thetwo air ducts 18 and 19. The air which is blown into the mouthpiece maythus be distributed at any desired ratio to the two turbine wheels so asto drive them at the same speed or at different speeds.

The shaft 23 of the valve member 17 is flattened on one side andprojects downwardly through an opening in the wall of the housing whichhas a sector-shaped projection 24, the radial edges of which form stopsfor limiting the extent of the rotation of the valve member 17.

The pipe stem 1 is further provided on its upper side with a flatsurface 25 upon which additional vehicles 26 may be placed and affixedas by gluing.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. A toy blowing instrument comprising a housing having a supportingportion and a tubular mouthpiece extending substantially perpendicularlyto said supporting portion for viewing of the upper surface of saidsupporting portion by a user, a plurality of turbine wheels supportedupon said supporting portion for rotation independently of each other,said turbine wheels having means thereon disposed in a path of air flowfor rotation of said turbine wheels upon the users blowing into saidmouthpiece, said turbine wheels being supported for rotation about anaxis adapted to be disposed in a substantially vertical direction whenin use and having portions thereon simulating separate track racewaysand disposed for observation by a user when blowing into said tubularmouthpiece, and toys mounted on each of said raceways for simulating arace when a user blows into said tubular mouthpiece.

2. A toy blowing instrument as defined in claim 6 in which said tubularmember contains separate air ducts each leading to a respective one ofthe turbine wheels.

3. A toy blowing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the portionsof the turbine wheels disposed for observation lie in a common plane.

4. A toy blowing instrument as defined in claim 3 wherein the toysaffixed to said portions of the turbine wheels simulate vehicles.

5. A toy blowing instrument as defined in claim 6, further comprising atleast one separating plate intermediate each adjacent pair of saidturbine wheels for separating the turbine blades of said wheels fromeach other.

6. A toy blowing instrument comprising a housing, a plurality of turbinewheels having turbine means thereon and mounted coaxially in saidhousing and freely rotatable relative to each other, toys affixed toeach of said turbine wheels, a tubular member connected to said housingand having a mouthpiece at one end thereof for blowing air against saidturbine means of said turbine wheels for rotating said turbine wheels, acontrol valve in said tubular member disposed in the path of air fiowtherethrough, and separate air ducts each leading from said controlvalve to a respective one of said turbine wheels, said control valvebeing adapted to be adjusted for distributing the air blowing throughsaid tubular mouthpiece at different strengths to said turbine wheelsfor varying their relative speeds of rotation and for simulating a racebetween said toys when the user blows through said mouthpiece.

7. A toy blowing instrument as defined in claim 6, in which said controlvalve comprises a hollow cylindrical valve member having a longitudinalinlet slot at one side communicating with said mouthpiece and severaloutlet openings at the opposite side and communicating with said airducts leading to the different turbine wheels, said outlet openingsbeing at least partly angularly offset relative to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 627,019 6/1899 Streubel 137625.47 XR 1,407,621 2/ 1922 Ananian 4656 2,588,038 3/1952 Pagenhardt46-44 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner H. DINITZ, Assistant ExaminerU.S. C1. X.R.

